It doesnโt get much bigger than Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira โ literally and figuratively! Oneโs a towering heavyweight that surpasses most heavyweight fighters in size and mettle. The other one literally goes by โPredator.โ So, who does this PFL Super Fights โBattle of the Giantsโ pairing remind of? The Apex Titans: Godzilla vs. Kong. PFL (Professional Fighters League) always reminds fans of that.
Last Thursday, the promotion announced the final PFL โBattle of the Giantsโ 10-fight lineup. Ferreira (13-3 MMA, 7-1 PFL) cemented himself as an opponent for Ngannouโs highly-anticipated PFL debut when he won the PFL season heavyweight title in 2023. He then racked another over Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in February. Now, the two titans do their dance in an epic promo.
Some of the sequences featured rumbles on the ground, cracking up; to media choppers panning over literal giants Renan Fereira and challenger Francis Ngannou. The trailer has everything one could hope for. It followed suit of other cinematic Riyadh combat sports promos. The Battle of Baddest promo, Day of Reckoning, and other promos impressed the fans as well.
Ngannou v Ferreira
Battle of the Giants
SAT OCT 19 PPV #PFLMMA #PFLSuperFights pic.twitter.com/3z3Bd4IejKโ Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) September 25, 2024
๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ก๐ง๐๐ข๐ช๐ก ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅโ๏ธ๐ฅ
Full Battle Of The Giants Trailer ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐#PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | Oct 19th pic.twitter.com/bJL277WCQU
โ PFL (@PFLMMA) September 25, 2024
PFL co-owner Donn Davis has also promised the production cost will surpass well over UFC 306 event at Sphere in Las Vegas. Figuratively, ex-UFC lineal heavyweight Ngannou is the biggest free agency signing and one of the yearโs most anticipated fights. โProblemaโ is on a tear through the division and a perfect matchup for him. The promo just adds to it all.
What to know about Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira
A massive heavyweight showdown headlines the PFL: โBattle of the Giantsโ as former UFC champion Francis Ngannou returns to the MMA front. Signing with the PFL consequently gave Ngannou the contractual freedom to fight, which led to a bout with WBC champion Tyson Fury last October. Ngannou also faced former champion Anthony Joshua in March and was knocked out in the second round.
Now, โThe Predatorโ goes back to familiar stomping grounds under the PFL banner. It looked like there might be some initial friction when Renan Ferreira came out too crass for their PFL pay-per-view (PPV) event build-up.
Some MMA aficionados think those crass points will be a big factor going in later on and add to the hype. However, this has purely been about the clash between two literal giants at 6โ4โณ and 6โ8โณ. The matchup will decide the best heavyweight (outside the UFC).
๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: Your Battle Of The Giants Fight Card is set ๐
The countdown to impact is ๐๐ โณ๐ฅ#PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | Oct 19th pic.twitter.com/npBUbpv6Bb
โ PFL (@PFLMMA) September 26, 2024
That, consequently, is a big reason enough. Ferreira is a top crop who starched Bader at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in February, in 21 seconds. Before that, he earned the title with a second-round knockout of Denis Goltsov. He has proved that he is as good as they come. The MMA clique awaits if Ngannou, an unstoppable freak of nature, can fare against the immovable object.
DraftKings released initial odds for the fight, with Ngannou opening as a solid fave at -298. Ferriera opened as a +240 underdog. Additionally, Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco finally meet in a highly-anticipated co-mains. Johnny Eblen returns to defend his title against Fabian Edwards, while A.J. McKee takes on Paul Hughes in a lightweight bout. There are some other prime additions to the lineup.